In order to be processed by digital systems, a continuously varying signal needs to be converted to a set of discrete samples. A sample is a value or a set of values at a point in the domain in which the continuously varying signal is sampled.
It is often desired to convert the sampling rate of a digital signal from one rate to another, for example in audio, video or image processing systems where data needs to be processed by different sub-systems or components which require different sampling rates.
Sample rate conversion can be implemented with a structure that provides various electronic components which are arranged to store and perform arithmetic operations on data to implement algorithms for sample rate conversion, converting an input signal having a first sample rate to an output signal having a second sample rate. Sample rate conversion structures may be suitably provided as a digital signal processor (DSP) device or as a component part of DSP device which also performs other functions. A DSP device provides suitable software and hardware architecture for power-efficient processing of algorithms for portable devices or other applications where there is a great need for power efficiency.